New Zealand’s biggest charity is still raising funds despite funding cutbacks.
ActBlue charities are raising about $8 million a year through donations, which are also the biggest in the world.
The NZ Charity Commission said in its annual report that it had seen a dramatic increase in donations in recent years, driven largely by the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
ActAs a result, NZC was able to spend a total of $5.4 million on support for people in the country’s poorest communities.
The charity also reported a significant increase in charitable giving in 2015, with donations from corporate and public sector partners reaching $3.3 billion.
ActRaising, which helps people in low-income households through voluntary activities, said it was happy with the amount of money raised, which it had raised from private donations.
“Our focus is on helping people who are on the front lines of the poverty line, who may be living with a disability or in a care home, who might be at risk of homelessness,” the group’s managing director, Karen McCaffery, said.
The Government is expected to announce new measures this week to support the New Zealand charities.
Acting Minister of Social Development Kate Hoey said the Government would work to support charities and other organisations that are working hard to help the country.
“We will work with the NZ Charity Commissioner and the National Government to make sure that charities that are operating in our country are supported and able to continue to do so,” she said.
ActsRaising has been in operation for 18 years.
“We want to ensure that charities and their employees are working towards a future where people with disabilities are recognised and supported,” Ms McCaffie said.
“That is the reason why we are supporting the NZ charity sector with the most significant financial support in the OECD and the World Bank.”
ActRaiser has a network of more than 200,000 members, which includes more than 70,000 individuals.
Its annual report was released just before Christmas.
